Heytea makes big anti-poverty pledge in Guizhou

A Heytea store in Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning province, April 17, 2020. [Photo/Sipa]

Guangdong-based popular milk tea maker Heytea will donate 3 million yuan ($440,000) for different industrial poverty alleviation projects nationwide, and the first 1 million yuan will be used to support the tea sector in Leishan county in the mountainous Guizhou province in Southwest China.

The fund will help local tea growers improve their production technologies. Heytea will also purchase the original tea produced locally and use them to develop drinks, thus ultimately driving high-quality business growth for the tea sector in Leishan.

On Tuesday, Heytea signed a three-year industrial poverty alleviation plan with China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation in Beijing. They will decide the specific use of the remaining 2 million yuan at a later time based on market demand.

Heytea, which has opened more than 500 stores in 48 cities in China and overseas, said it would help Leishan's tea industry comprehensively improve its production structure and upgrade the management model.

"To cash in on local advantages like a subtropical climate and clean air, Heytea will focus on the construction of tea production infrastructure, integrate advanced technologies with traditional tea planting, and help enhance the overall competitiveness of the local tea industry in the market," said Huo Wei, public relations director at Heytea.

Guizhou stands as China's largest tea plantation area, and it has a long tea planting history. Leishan county has been one of the tea production areas with the highest-quality tea. Yet without sophisticated production technologies, professional management and sales channels, the tea industry there faces a number of difficulties.

By establishing a professional management team and expanding the sales channels, the poverty alleviation project will help the local tea industry achieve sustainable growth.

In addition, using tea produced in Leishan in the R&D of milk tea drinks, which has been a booming business in China, it is expected to promote consumers' awareness of poverty alleviation projects in the country, Heytea said.